You have that acquisitive gleam in your  eyes whenever you pass a house for sale.  You spend your days  dreaming of living somewhere where no one can nix your grand plan for  painting all the rooms black.  You desperately want a garden where  you can cultivate deadly nightshade with the loving skill that your  landlord just doesn't appreciate.  You want to buy a house.

You may have a good idea of what you  want and don't want, but it helps to put it on paper.  Make a list of  absolute must-haves for any home.  Then make a list of  really-wants-but-could-live-withouts.  Chances are, if you aren't  paying cash for your first home, you will have to give up the  in-house roasting spit in favor of two bathrooms.

Before you head over to Paint World should it be latex or water based? Ah, decisions you should  ensure that you can not only get a loan, but that you can also afford  your first home.  What does your budget look like?  Do you have a  budget?  Are you looking for a home within your budget?  Most real  estate professionals advise that your monthly Mortgage be no more  than 33% of your income.

You may have your eye on your dream  home, where the panthers can ramble freely among the castor bean  plants.  However, you will likely save more money by investing in a  domestic idyll that you will purchase for a modest price, save taxes  on, and sell for thousands more, eventually financing your personal  utopia.  Consider pot-gardening your deadly nightshade for a couple  of years, saving for the property that will allow them to burgeon  along the fence line.  Building equity with a smaller domicile is one  way to save for the down payment you will need for the property and  location you want.

Your next step is to consult a real  estate professional.  It's true that the Internet is making it easier  to buy and sell without the assistance of agents, but for your first  time, at the very least, having the advice and guidance of a  professional in the industry is invaluable.  Unless you're a real  estate professional yourself, in which case you probably don't need  the advice in this article, you will have only a vague idea of the  amount of paperwork and the legal implications of buying property.   An agent can do the legwork of a transaction, advise you on the other  professionals you should be hiring (home inspector, etc), and nobly  place themselves between you and the ravening sellers out there, each  eager to market their home as the perfect place to keep a small  colony of vampire bats.

Interview a few agents before settling  on one.  Ask people for their recommendations, but go with your own  feelings in the end.  If an agent gives you references, be sure to  call them and ask about the agent's professionalism and expertise in  finding a home that satisfied the buyers.  Ask former clients if they  would use that buyer again and why.

Now it's time to start considering  homes.  Your agent will be happy to compile a list of homes for you  to look at, based on the must-have criteria you cite.  Be aware that  you must make it clear what you are willing to consider if none of  the homes you look at are quite the thing.  If you find that you are  willing to give up a cemetery view in exchange for a property with an  abandoned well, be sure to communicate that to your agent.

Happy Home Hunting!

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